Model railroad enthusiasts desire to create realistic model layouts that resemble full sized railroad lines. One detailed element of a realistic model railroad track layout involves applying track ballast along the model track. In the case of full size railroad tracks, track ballast is generally made of crushed stone such as granite and the edges of the stone particles interlock with each other to stay in place. Track ballast is packed between, below, and around track ties and is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track structure. Additionally, track ballast also aids in keeping the railroad track stationary as a train rolls along the tracks.
Presently, there are different techniques for applying railroad ballast to a model track layout, but most tend to involve some variation of what winds up being a long, laborious process done by hand. For example, one technique involves the use of a small teaspoon, one or more brushes, and a vacuum cleaner. The spoon is used to hold a small amount of dry ballast directly over the model track and is gently tapped so that the ballast sprinkles out a little at a time over the inside of the rails followed by the outside of the rails, all while trying to keep the outside edges of the ballast neat and straight. The spoon is followed by use of a brush to spread the ballast in and around the ties both on the inside of the rails and out while attempting to keep the outside edges neat and straight. The vacuum is used to clean up the mess caused by the ballast that has spilled out onto the floor and areas of the model track layout during the previous steps.
In sum, present ballast laying methods can be time consuming and involve hours of work to apply ballast to relatively small portion of a model track layout.